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Showing posts from January, 2018

Review - The Last Straw by Ed Duncan

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Book Cover Year Published: 2017 Genre: Crime; Mystery; Suspense Blurb: The Last Straw ,  by Ed Duncan, is a suspenseful crime thriller. This is the second book in the Pigeon Blood Red series.  When a teenage girl witnesses a carjacking gone bad, she is marked for death by a crime boss with no apparent motive. A black lawyer and a white enforcer with an unlikely history forge an uneasy alliance to protect the girl from a hit man with an agenda of his own. After they find out that the crime boss is the father of the black teenage carjacker, Paul Elliott - lawyer and close friend of the witness’s family - begins counseling them. As the long-simmering feud between Rico and John D'Angelo reaches boiling point, bodies start to pile up in rapid succession... and old scores will be settled. About the Author: Ed Duncan is a graduate of Oberlin College and Northwestern University Law School. He was a partner at a national law firm in Cleveland, Ohio for many ye

Review - The Spirit of Imagination by S.A. Tawks

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My Copy of the Book Year Published: 2017 Genre: Magical Realism; Young Adult with a tiny touch of Literary Blurb: What if you could bottle creative juices?  Emily Rainn is seeking employment. A career would be ideal but any job will suffice. She desperately wants a position that can transform her unutilised time into currency. Progressing to the next stage of one of her many job applications, Emily meets bestselling author John Crawford and the bygone writer offers her an opportunity far greater than any ordinary job or career.  Join Emily as she is introduced to the secret world of imagination and meet the men and women with differing ideas concerning the proper use of the spirit of imagination.  Has Emily been introduced to a marvelous, magical world or has she entered into something that is beyond her wildest imaginings?  Suspend disbelief and indulge yourself with a taste of The Spirit of Imagination. About the Author: S. A. Tawks is a grandmother an

Review - Captive Rebel by Erin McDermott

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My Copy of the Book Year Published: 2017 Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult; Dystopian Blurb: In a world where Greek Gods rule over the Allegiance, Marylyn O’Conner struggles to survive.  Marylyn is a rebel, forced to do the rebellion’s bidding until an unforgiving family debt is paid. A pawn in the war against the Allegiance, she is obligated to become a rebel spy, or her family will suffer.  When word spreads that an Allegiant Prince, Ariston, has escaped rebel captivity vowing to hunt down rebel spies, Marylyn realizes her only hope is to escape Allegiant territory.  While on the run, Ariston captures Marylyn, preventing her from any chance of returning home. Desperate, she knows she needs to escape her alluring captor or risk the safety of her family.  But Marylyn can’t keep herself from falling for the mysterious prince as she finds that he can empathize with her troublesome past - a past no ally has understood before. About the Author: Erin McDermott was b

My Week of Reading (23 - 27 January 2018)

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Hello Everyone, It's been quite a productive week for me; I managed to get three reviews done this week, so let's get started with them: Vespers by Meghan McDonnell: Amazon:  Amazon Review - Vespers Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - Vespers Genuine Jenn:  Genuine Jenn Review - Vespers On the Road by Richard Hammond: Amazon:  Amazon Review - On the Road Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - On the Road Here is my blog review of the book:  Blog Review - On the Road And last but most certainly not least: Wicked Faith by Aaron Dawbot: Amazon:  Amazon Review - Wicked Faith Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - Wicked Faith Here is my blog review of the book:  Blog Review - Wicked Faith As you can see; I've been able to do quite a bit of reading, which leads me to... Monthly Reading Goals: I've been able to finish one reading goal; I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish the other (I'll keep you updated on that). The goal that I managed to finish was

Review - On the Road by Richard Hammond

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My Copy of the Book Year Published: 2013 Genre: Biography; Memoir; Travel Blurb: ON THE ROAD: GROWING UP IN EIGHT JOURNEYS - MY EARLY YEARS is a new form of autobiography, in which TOP GEAR presenter Richard Hammond tells the story of his early life through a series of significant driving episodes. He's a child in the back seat of Dad's car on the way to the seaside in Weston-Super-Mare. He's on his first bike, a red one, in Solihull, then on his first motorcycle, a Honda MTX50. He's at the wheel of his first car (and in the back with his first girlfriend). He is driving a furniture delivery van as part of his first job in and around Ripon. Now he is showing off with a friend, risking everything. ON THE ROAD is an emotional road map in which each chapter has its own registration number, and its own distinctive interior. Most importantly, each chapter sets off and arrives. ON THE ROAD surges on to its destination, reversing or moving quickly through the

Review - Wicked Faith by Aaron Dawbot

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My Copy of the Book Year Published: 2018 Genre: Paranormal, with a small touch of horror Blurb: Wicked Faith (A Paranormal Mystery) Again, we join Thomas Arsen, the immortal reaper hybrid, and his two human friends (Lonnie the veteran killer and Fitz the cursed slayer), as they head to Barton/Texas, in an attempt to solve a puzzling series of deaths, mysteriously revolving around one Woman (Susan Day). Several bodies found, defiled in ways that could only hint to the victims' deepest secrets. As the mystery unravels, more details come to light that would indicate the malice of a creature more powerful and cunning than demons themselves. A convoluted thrill charged with mystery and suspense that could put our hero's talents to the greatest test he has ever undergone. In this episode, Lonnie discovers a hideous  truth about his estranged family, while Fitz faces the monstrous reality of his cursed origin. Thomas must find the creature responsible for robbing Su

My Week of Reading (15 - 20 January 2018)

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Hello Everyone, It's been quite a productive week; I've managed to do two reviews. Six Tinder Weeks by Bena Roberts: Amazon:  Amazon Review - Six Tinder Weeks Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - Six Tinder Weeks Here is my blog review of the book:  Blog Review - Six Tinder Weeks Forever Since an Apple by Ken Welsch: Amazon:  Amazon Review - Forever Since an Apple Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - Forever Since an Apple Here is my blog review of the book:  Blog Review - Forever Since an Apple Both of these books were relatively short reads and I enjoyed them both. Monthly Reading Goals: I've managed to finish one reading goal this month, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage the other one left or not. I'll have a review up of the book that I finished for this coming week.  Last Word: I've got quite a few reviews coming up this week, so it's going to be a bit busy for me. I'm also still doing some workstation painting (hoping th

Review - Forever Since an Apple by Ken Welsch

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Book Cover Year Published: 2015 Genre: Contemporary Blurb: Reality TV stardom. Garage band dreams. Through the lens of his camera, news photographer Daniel Evart sees a world in which opportunities are evident and success is clearly defined. If only life was that simple. Set on a fictional college campus in rural northwestern Michigan, "Forever Since An Apple" tells the story of how Daniel struggles with early-adulthood confusion and learns to define his own measure of success. About the Author: Ken Welsch has worked as a writer in Michigan since the early 1990s. As a news reporter, his work has been published in numerous publications, including the Detroit News, Bay City Times and News-Herald. He has also worked as a copywriter for ad agencies Team Detroit and the Detroit Media Partnership. Born and raised in suburban Detroit, Ken studied creative writing and journalism at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, a campus and town that provided t

Book Tour: Book Review - Six Tinder Weeks by Bena Roberts

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About the Book: Forty-something scientist Helen leaves her husband after twenty uninspired years of marriage. Plagued with making the wrong decisions she looks towards holistic therapy and the universe to guide her choices. She meets hairdresser Alex and takes his advice to download the dating app SPRK. Helen embarks on a voyage of self-discovery, paganism, hedonism and desire. What could go wrong? Well for one secret agent CJ is convinced that Helen is part of a notorious Romanian smuggling gang. Six Tinder weeks is not the usual romantic novel; it is realistic fiction full of twists, turns that will make you laugh out loud. If you like something different, then you will enjoy this Pandora's box of love, action and the unexpected. About the Author: Bena is an expat British woman living with her family in Germany. She was a journalist, blogger and analyst as well as CEO of quite a few geeky companies. She is a bookworm, gym bunny and partial to dry Italian red wine.

My Week of Reading (8 - 13 January 2018)

Hello Everyone, I've managed to do one review and one blog post this week - let's get to the review: Agent Colt: Classified Pride by A.L. Wright: Amazon:  Amazon Review - Agent Colt: Classified Pride Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - Agent Colt: Classified Pride Here is my blog review of the book:  Blog Review - Agent Colt: Classified Pride This was a relatively quick read to get through. Monthly Reading Goals: Thankfully I've been able to start on this - now that I have the time to read. I've picked up a humorous book; and I will most likely finish it today if all goes well. Last Word: It's nice that I've been able to ease back into reading. With the Bout of Books Read-a-thon; I've tried to get as much reading into my week as has been possible. I've also been trying to do as much painting as I can for my workstation, and I've slowly been making progress - though make no mistake - it's not an easy job! I will most like

Review - Agent Colt: Classified Pride by A.L. Wright

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My Copy of the Book Blurb: Latesse Colt is a super spy with a gold track record, a womanizing pig for a partner, and a secret she had never told anyone until a wine filled conversation aboard a plane with a complete stranger named Vaneesa. When Vaneesa turns out to be the newest member of her team, Tess is afraid her secret won t stay that way for very long. At their new home base in Italy Tess is put on the lead of their newest case, and she finds that working with Vaneesa both thrills her and terrifies her. And gives her the strength to shed her tough skin, finally facing her fears of coming out. But once she is no longer afraid of her own secret, she finds she hasn't been the only one hiding. About the Author: Alicia grew up in a very small Pacific NorthWest town of 900 people with not much to do. She used books and music as an escape from boredom. She is also an accomplished Harley Davidson mechanic, (she graduated from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) and owned h

Bookish Ramblings # 5 - Review Teams

Hello Everyone, I've become part of review teams for the past few months; and it's quite interesting being a part of them. At this point in time, I'm part of 4 teams at the moment. Be sure that at times I am tempted to load more on my plate and join another one or two - but I'm resisting it - for now!  These teams usually involve some behind-the-scenes, updates as well as some ARC copies sometimes. These can be nice reader communities to get into as well as getting to know other fans from the author whose review team group you are in.  Some review teams are done via newsletters; and then there are some that are done via facebook. At this point in time; I am part of both. The newsletter ones are usually emails that are sent to you - in other words - you unfortunately don't have contact with other fans; and then with regards to the facebook groups - these are usually closed groups, and are only accessible if you're invited to the group. These are nice for

My Week of Reading (1 - 6 January 2018)

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Hello Everyone, So this is my first 'week of reading' post for 2018! This week, I've managed to get one review done as well as one blog post. Without further ado, here is the review: The Black Notebook by Isabelle Snow: Amazon:  Amazon Review - The Black Notebook Goodreads:  Goodreads Review - The Black Notebook Genuine Jenn:  Genuine Jenn Review - The Black Notebook I quite enjoyed this book; I'm definitely keeping an eye on this author. Monthly Reading Goals: I haven't started my January goals yet; but it is highly likely that I'll be starting next week with it; and I will most probably start with the humorous novel. Last Word: It's nice that I've been able to ease myself back into reading. I will most likely start reading a little bit more next week. At the moment, I'm doing a re-read of a book that has come out with an updated version. I've also been doing quite a bit of painting. I've also been easing into a

Highlights of the Month - December 2017

Hello Everyone, December has been a bit of a crazy month for me - I've had to finish off work; I've had to take on additional house duties for a while (which ate into my time and energy), and I've taken on the task of painting the room where my workstation is going to be.  Considering how busy December was; I'm pretty stoked that I managed to read 6 books this past month. And once again, it is going to be difficult on which are favourites.  But; here are my top three (in no particular order): - I'll Take Manhattan by Judith Krantz - Love, Secrets and Absolution by K.L. Loveley - A Kiss for Christmas by Melody Grace  All in all; I've had a good year, which now allows me to move onto... Monthly Reading Goals: I'm not sure if I'll be able to get two books done in January, but I'm going to attempt to - considering that I am now self-employed. So, here are JANUARY'S reading goals: Read either: A Humorous Book OR A Contemporary Book